Louisville neighbor witnesses fatal house fire

A Louisville man watched the unthinkable Saturday night as his neighbor's house went up in flames -- and the man died later at the hospital.

"I turned my head around, and there was a big smoke or fire coming out," said James Ritchie, who was on his porch when the fire broke out at his neighbor's home on 22nd and Duncan streets.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and poked a ventilation hole in the roof. The fire was contained to one room, but it was the room where the home's sole occupant, who was identified as Harvey Alvey, was located.

Alvey was wearing an oxygen mask when emergency workers carried him away on a stretcher. He was later pronounced dead at University Hospital.

"I was just concerned about the man's life," Ritchie said. "I was wondering if he was OK."

A relative of Alvey said the home had belonged to his mother, who had recently died.

"He always talked about how he missed his mom, and his mom passed away," Ritchie said.

Alvey's burned and smoke-damaged belongings were strewn outside the house. The room where he was found was boarded up.

"He was real nice," Ritchie said of his neighbor. "He was a kind person. Very loving. We moved here about a year ago, and he was the first one to welcome us to this neighborhood."

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